The scholarly communication crisis has been a chronic problem affecting libraries and publishing for the last quarter century. The current transition into a new information age presents a new set of concerns with the proliferation of electronic resources. Digital preservation, or the archiving of electronic resources for preservation and access, is an issue that must be resolved to ensure the retention of human heritage in perpetuity.

This paper explores the potential role of consortia in digital preservation. An overview of the status of digital preservation precedes an examination of the consortial licensing landscape. A case study of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN), a consortium beginning to address digital preservation concerns, license agreements explores the presence, content, and provisions of archival statements. Based on the results and current digital preservation environment, this paper concludes with a proposed method for a successful consortial digital preservation project.